Bomb release signal lamp assembly



Feb. 17, 1942. A. D. DIRCKSEN BOMB RELEASE SIGNAL LAMP ASSEMBLY Filed May 10, 1941 Dv Mm.

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Patented Feb. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a bomb release signal lamp, and especially to a remote controlled arrangement for dashing signals of different colors.

The bomb release lamp assembly, as presently employed in aerial warfare, is mounted in the tail of the bombing plane, and, due to the fact that this space must usually accommodate a tail gunner, the lamp is preferably made as compact as possible.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a lamp assembly which accomplishes this purpose with a single lamp bulb, yet without undue complication in the mechanism.

More specically, an object of the invention is to arrange a single lamp bulb and a concave reflector in relatively fixed positions with respect to each other, then provide means for optional insertion of a medium between the lamp and the reflector which will alter the color of the signal without altering the color of the light emanating from the bulb.

These objects are attained in an embodiment of the invention to be hereinafter described, the description being facilitated by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal central section through the improved lamp assembly.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary axial section taken in a plane angularly spaced ninety degrees from the section Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a partial end view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram of the electric circuits.

In the drawing, a housing I0, at its forward end, has a concave reflector II securedthereto by the screws I3, and midway of its length, concentrically supports the solenoid assembly i2 which is fixed against axial movement in the housing by the screws I4.

The spool for the solenoid I2 comprises a front head I6 and a back head I8 connected by a tubular part 20, the three parts preferably being integral and of electrically conductive material, or, if they are made separately, at least the head I8 should be of metal in order that the inner end 2l of the coil 22 may be electrically connected thereto to provide a ground connection to the housing I0. The outer end of coil 22 terminates in a cabl'e 23 which is brought out through the wall of the housing I through a. grommet 25.

Extending rearwardly from the back head I8 is a hollow hub 24, in the opening of which a long tube 26 is press vfitted and thereby rigidly supported. At the forward end, the tube 26 is slotted as at 28 to provide a bayonet lock for the pin 30 in the base of the lamp 32, whereby the outer terminal 3l of the lamp base is grounded through the head I8 to the housing I0. Inasmuch as the lamp socket is formed in the forward end of the tube 26, it may hereinafter be referred to as the lamp socket tube. The lament of the lamp 32 is positioned as nearly as practicable at the principal focus of the reector Il.

An insulating member ,34 carries a conductive pin 36 for conveying current to the inner terminal 38 of the lamp base. A cable 4|! brings current from the power source 42 through an opening 43 in the wall of the tube 26 to the pin 36. The cable 40 may preferably emerge from the housing I0 through the same grommet 25 as is provided for the. cable 23. The insulating member 34 is axially slidable in the tube 26, and a coil spring 46 reacts against a washer 48 which is fixed in the tube 26, thereby pressing the pin 36 into contact with the terminal 38. The lamp bulb itself may preferably be of clear glass with the frontend shielded as at 49 to intercept the rays which fall beyond the front edge of the reflector II.

A solenoid core 50 is slidable axially into the space 5I within the lamp socket tube 26, and is normally positioned, as in Fig. 1, with the forward end 52 of the core entered in the rearward end of the tube as shown. A retaining washer 54 ls fastened to the outer end of the core 50 with a screw 56, and a coil spring 58, preferably under an initial stress, acts against the washer 54 and head I8, thereby sliding the core rearwardly until its movement is arrested by contact of the screw 56 with a stop 60 held in the housing I0. A buffer 62 of resilient material, also held in position by the screw 56, arrests forward movement of the core 50 by contact with the end of the hub 24, whereby movement of the core through its maximum stroke brings the front end 52 to the broken line 66.

The inside diameter of the tube 20 of the solenoid spool is considerably larger than the outside diameter of the lamp socket tube 26, thereby leaving space between these two tubes for the lter operating tube 66 to slide freely in an axial direction. The forward end of the tube 66 is ilanged outwardly as at 68, the ange being shouldered at 'l0 to form a pilot which extends slightly into the interior of the colored glass filter cylinder 12. Several narrow strips of metal 14 have one end bent around the forward end of the glass cylinder and the other around the rearward side of the flange to hold the cylinder and flange assembled. A resilient washer 18 may be interposed as shown, to minimize the danger of breaking the cylinder.

The extreme rearward end of the filter operating tube 88 overlaps the extreme forward end of the solenoid core 88, the two being joined together for unitary axial movement by a cross pin 18. Since the lamp socket tube 26 occupies the space between the core 80 and the filter operating tube 88, the tube 26 is provided with long slots 80 (see Fig. 2) to clear the pin 18 in its axial movement, and since the conductor 40 must pass through the walls of the axially movable filter operating tube 86 as well as through the stationary lamp socket tube 26. an elongated slot 82 is formed in the movable tube 66 adjacent the round opening 43 of the tube 28, whereby the slot 82 will clear the conductor in any position to which the tube 88 may be moved.

A mounting bracket 84 surrounds the housing I and is secured in position thereon by the clamp screw 86. The bracket is grounded, whereby the inner end 2| of the solenoid coil and the outer terminal 3| of the lamp have connection to the grounded sideof the battery 42. Switches 88 and 90 control the solenoid and lamp circuits respectively.

When the device is not in use, both switches 88 and 90 are open, and when a plain white light is desired, the switch 86 only is closed to complete a circuit through the lamp 32. Thereafter, closing of the additional switch 88 will energize the solenoid coil 22 which will draw the core 50 forwardly against the resistance of spring 58 into the space 5|, so that the front end of the core which is normally at 52 will be at 64, and the buffer 62 will be against the hub 24.

When the solenoid core hasthus moved forwardly, the pin 18 will have carried the tube 66 and filter cylinder 12 forwardly until the front end of the filter cylinder is on the broken line 82, whereby the light rays 94 from the lamp are intercepted by the filter cylinder and are thereby received by the refiector as colored rays. The shield 49 prevents the admixture of white rays with the reflected colored rays.

When consideration is given the fact that heretofore two separate and complete lamp assemblies were employed for alternately projecting first a white then a colored beam, and that the space available for mounting two separate asse'nblies was wholly inadequate for the purpose, the advantages of the present invention will be apparent. Furthermore, as formerly constructed and operated, the white light was necessarily switched off when the colored light was turned on, to prevent blending of the two beams at a distance; but with the device herein disclosed, the white light is retained once it is turned on, the same being translated into colored light by projecting the filter into the line of the rays when a colored beam is desired.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, I claim:

l. A signal lamp assembly comprising a housing, a solenoid coil, a spool for said solenoid coil supported in said housing intermediate its ends, the rearward end of said spool being of relatively small bore and the remainder of somewhat larger bore, a long lamp socket tube supported in said smaller bore and extending forward, a lamp bulb supported in the forward end of said tube, a filter operating tube slidable axially in said larger bore and around the lamp socket tube, a ,color filter carried on the forward end of said operating tube normally positioned in a space around the base of the lamp but adapted to be extended by axial movement of said operating tube to a space around the filament of the lamp, asolenoid core slidable in the lamp socket tube and normally positioned therein with its forward end and the rearward end of the filter operating tube overlapping, and means extending through longitudinal slots in the wall of the lamp socket tube connecting said core and said operating tube for unitary axial movement.

2. The structure of claim 1 with a means for resiliently holding said core, said operating tube and said filter in the normal unoperated position when said solenoid coil is not energized.

3. In a signal lamp, a housing, a solenoid coil intermediate the ends of said housing, a supporting member adjacent the rear end of said coil, a lamp socket tube anchored in said supporting member and extending forward through and beyond said coil, there being axially extending slots through the wall of said lamp socket tube and a tubular space between said tube and said coil, a lamp bulb supported in the front end of said tube, a color filter normally surrounding the base of said bulb, a filter operating tube slidable axially in said tubular space and supporting said filter on its front end, a solenoid core slidable axially in said lamp socket tube, the front end only of said core being entered in said lamp socket tube, the remainder extending rearward from said supporting member, resilient means holding said core to its rearward position, and connecting means extending from the front end of said core through said slots to the rear end of said filter operating tube, whereby, upon application of an electric current to said solenoid coil said core will be drawn forward into said lamp socket tube and said filter will be moved forward around said bulb.

ARNOLD D. DIRCKSEN. 

